A network in general comprises one or more devices that communicate with each other. One issue that network administrators or managers face is security, i.e., ensuring that their networks are secured against unwanted hackers and unauthorized users. Although encryption or security keys are currently used in some networks, these networks are vulnerable to unauthorized interception of keys and transmission of dummy keys. For example, network managers seeking network security may contend with “man-in-the-middle” attacks. In general, this type of attack occurs when a hostile user substitutes its own one or more public keys for those of bona fide users, and then relays the messages between these users gaining information from the messages or substituting its own information depending upon the nature of the attack. For example, this security breach occurs when one device (e.g., Device A) sends a security or encryption key to another device (e.g., Device B), and a “middle man”—i.e., an unauthorized user, reads that key and sends a dummy key to Device B. Device B assumes that the dummy key was sent by Device A. Vice versa, Device B may also in turn send a key to Device A, which is also intercepted by the unauthorized user. In this situation, Devices A and B are using dummy keys provided by the unauthorized middleman to encrypt their messages. Considering that the middle man provided these keys, messages encrypted by these dummy keys and sent via the network are easily decrypted—for example, by those keys or their matching private keys, and thereafter read or adulterated by the middle man.
Another issue that network managers face is the ease of network management. One process performed by some network managers is device association/authentication. This process or collection of processes generally enables network managers to indicate to the network that a particular device should be connected and authorized, for example, to receive and send communications within the network. In some situations, this process requires a network manager to enter, one or more times, a network password or encryption key. This process becomes cumbersome, particularly when the network has a number of devices and the password or key to be entered is long and cryptic. This process also generally includes a network manager having access to a keyboard to enter such key or password.
Furthermore, in other networks, station invalidation requires physical access to the station itself. For example, if the manager desires to invalidate a station, the manager physically removes that station to be invalidated from the network and then assigns a new network password to be used by the remaining valid stations. Thus, even if the invalidated station is reconnected, it cannot be authenticated or read messages, because its unchanged network password is now invalid.